A fizzier Wiz than usual Dominic Cavendish for The Daily Telegraph reviews The Wizard of Oz at the Birmingham Rep.

If the BBC has its ghastly way, and installs large outdoor screens in our city centres, then - who knows - maybe the Christmas treats of the future will consist of assembling the kiddies in front of towering, seasonal editions of Balamory. Until that day comes, regional theatres will continue to do a roaring trade at this time of year and some of them, like the Birmingham Rep, will, in marked contrast to the licence fee, deserve every penny they charge.

The combination of some bright young newcomers and the experience of comedy veteran Jimmy Cricket is enough to carry the day for this, the Garrick's first panto. While some seasonal shows opt for a harder-edged, comically more aggressive approach, this one is forever warm and gentle. Even the antics of the Ugly Sisters, played by John and Jim Lavelle, are not wildly excessive.

Babes in the Wood may not be the most popular Christmas pantomime but Kevin Shaw's production is certainly one of the clearest readings of this mixture of several fairytales, including Robin Hood and Hansel and Gretel.

Captain Hook sails in from the Queen Vic For The Daily Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish reviews Peter Pan at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Richmond Theatre

The West End has come in for repeated jibes this year - too few good plays and too much tat being the general, often justified complaint. Oddly, that gripe goes into reverse over the festive season: where oh where are the fake diamond thrills of the commercial panto?

The widely panned Peter Pan at the Savoy stands as a stark illustration of how shoddy things can get when there's no significant competition in town and parents will sign up for anything that resembles a traditional Christmas treat.

This classic tale is brought to life onstage in a captivating, delightful adventure. The wonderful array of colourful characters, from the little drummer boy in the playroom to chilling Jack Frost in the wood.

I don't believe it... How panto went upmarketby JONATHAN BROWN and LOUISE JURY for the Independent

This year, however, pantomime is enjoying an unprecedented degree of artistic respectability as some of the most respected actors, writers and directors lend their names and talents to new productions of old favourites.

The man responsible for taking the panto upmarket is Sir Ian McKellen.

Zut alors and rouge my moulin – at the RSAMD Pantoland 'as bin catapulted across ze channel. But no matter what accent the fun adopts, the basic principles of panto reign in a production scripted by Alan McHugh and directed by Alasdair Hawthorn, now the regular lords of misrule behind these exuberantly over-the-top seasonal shows.

Theatre & pantomime that's perfect for toddlers of all agesby MARY BRENNAN for the Scotland Herald

What an oasis of calm, charm and imaginatively realised story-telling lies within the dark reaches of The Arches. Andy Arnold's beguilingly staged production of The Selfish Giant is intended for tiny tots – those under-fives who find full-blown pantos over-long and unfathomable – but any adult who strays into the Giant's garden is going to be captivated too.

Pantomime is an integral part of Christmas theeatre and will always featurechoreography of some sort, but we can't fit in all the reviews. So, hereis a compendiun for 2005 from around the UK:

Festive fun... Oh, yes it isWhich are the best - and worst - shows of the season from around the country?
Campbell Stevenson, Kate Kellaway, Clare Brennan, Seb Morton-Clark, Lorna
Martin and Spencer Vignes for The Observer.

'Too wishy-washy'
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp

In its zeal to offer a family drama, not a pantomime, this production has
missed a vital ingredient: humour. Aladdin has no brother here, but doesn't
need one - he's wishy-washy enough on his own, and does little to make a
young audience empathise with him.

McCuddles gives it the treatmentby MARY BRENNAN for the Scotland Herald

Kirkcaldy pantos never cease to amaze and amuse me. For the tenth year running director Jonathan Stone has joined forces with Adam Smith's Sheila Thomson to produce the kind of rollicking, inventive caper that gives traditional panto a good name while catering for the tastes (and "c'mon, fast-forward" attention span) of today's point'n'click youngsters.

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